Reach News

02 Jul ReACH Lab Graduate Student Validates Adolescent E-Cigarette Consequences Questionnaire

ReACH Lab graduate student Julie Cristello recently published an article validating a self-report measure for assessing adolescent outcome expectancies for e-cigarette use. Please see below for the article’s abstract: 

Introduction: Given the recent dramatic increase among adolescents in the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) or electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), there is a growing need to identify outcome expectancies that influence the initiation or continued use of e-cigarettes. While a self-report measure exists for assessing adolescent outcome expectancies for cigarette use, there is currently not one available for e-cigarette use. Validation and use of such a measure would provide insight into the growing popularity of e-cigarettes. Methods: The sample consisted of 264 (50.76% female, 86.36% White, 84.47% Hispanic/Latinx) freshmen and sophomores from South Florida high schools who were identified as at-risk for e-cigarette use. The current study adapted the Adolescent Smoking Consequences Questionnaire (ASCQ) to derive the Adolescent E-Cigarette Consequences Questionnaire (AECQ) to characterize e-cigarette outcome expectancies. A confirmatory factor analysis was estimated to test the underlying factor structure. Results: The confirmatory factor analysis provided support for a seven-factor structure (negative affect reduction, taste/sensorimotor manipulation, social facilitation, weight control, negative physical feelings, boredom reduction, and negative social impression) after removing two items with low factor loadings from the social facilitation subscale. After removing these items, factor loadings ranged from 0.46 to 0.86. Conclusion: The current study provides preliminary evidence to suggest that the Adolescent E-Cigarette Consequences Questionnaire is a psychometrically sound measure. Future work should continue to test this measure among diverse samples of adolescents (e.g., non-Latinx samples) with varying levels of use.

Congratulations for this incredible accomplishment Julie! 

29 Jun ACE Project Graduate Student Presents in the College on Problems of Drug Dependence Conference

On June 23rd, NBC Lab Graduate Student, Jessica Flannery, provided an oral presentation for The College on Problems of Drug Dependence online conference. 

Ms. Flannery discussed findings from the preliminary analysis of data from Wave 1 of the ACE Project, which included the data of 264 high-school students, 84.5% being Hispanic/Latinx. The results from the study support prior findings, where higher perceived Electronic Nicotine Device (ENDS) use among peers is linked to intentions to use ENDS in the future. Additionally, these results suggested that this relationship was partially explained by the impact of peer ENDS use on a teen’s attitudes towards ENDS, meaning adolescents are more likely to use vaping products in the future if their peers have favorable opinions on e-cigarettes. Second, the findings showed that resistance to general peer influences may reduce the impact of peer use on ENDS attitudes, therefore suggesting that increasing the refusal to peer influence may be an applicable intervention strategy to reduce ENDS use. Finally, the results displayed that high schoolers that demonstrate greater externalizing characteristics (such as cursing, stealing, or destruction of property), but that were lower on internalizing characteristics (such as loneliness, sadness, or fearfulness), may be particularly vulnerable to social risk factors – adverse social conditions associated with poor health – that increase use intentions. Thus, Ms. Flannery and collaborators suggest that prevention efforts addressing these social risk factors may provide the biggest impact among teens exhibiting these externalizing characteristics.

Watch the full presentation here.

19 Jun Vaping Rates May Increase this Summer Due to COVID-19

A recent Q&A with Forbes experts foresees a boom in the vaping market, for both nicotine and marijuana products, due to COVID-19 as summer begins. According to marijuana experts, summer is traditionally a strong season for buying cannabis products. The reopening of major states and cities following quarantine is likely to be joined with an increase in tourist activity, who may be buying vape products to use during their vacations. Additionally, some may turn to vaping marijuana during this pandemic as a way to cope with stress and anxiety, and new consumers are on the rise. The fear of spreading germs is another concern for marijuana users, and may lead to consumers straying away from sharing traditional methods of using marijuana such as smoking a joint and turn to their own vape pens.

As recently reported by FIU news, substance use while in quarantine is a real worry, especially among adolescents. Time will tell how this global pandemic ends up affecting the population, and if these predictions will come to fruition.

15 Jun ACE Project and FIU News Discuss COVID-19 and Substance Use Among Teens

The ACE Project team has collaborated with FIU News to inform the public about the risk of teen substance use during COVID-19, and how parents and guardians can help their children during this time. Dr. Elisa Trucco (ReACH Lab Director and ACE Project Co-PI) detailed the effects of anxiety on adolescents and the consequence it may have on their mental and physical well-being. Studies have shown that traumatic events that affect a large community, such as Hurricane Katrina, have led to a significant increase in substance use from survivors, and this is especially alarming for adolescents because they are the highest at risk for mental illness. Dr. Trucco recommends parents take breaks from news updates, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and to be conscious of the ways in which they teach their kids how to cope with stress.  

You may read the full article on the FIU News website.

02 Jun The FDA’s Approach to Youth E-Cigarette Use

A recent article in the American Journal of Public Health details the current steps the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking towards attempting to curb vaping among teens. The FDA is very aware of the ever-increasing rates of youth e-cigarette use; in 2019, more than five million middle and high school students reported current use of e-cigarette products, with nearly one million citing daily use. This vaping epidemic has been troubling to many health officials and researchers, with many putting the blame on government agencies and their lax policies. This is not a blind accusation; all e-cigarette products on the market are currently unlawful products because none has received a “marketing authorization, as required by law, from the FDA.” This lack of authorization is due to the agency’s “exercise of enforcement discretion,” which allowed the FDA to extend their typical time frame for authorization and allow thousands of e-cigarette products to enter the market without product review.

Following the statistics from 2019, the FDA announced their intention to “prioritize enforcement against illegally marketed ENDS products”, with a focus on cartridge- or pod-based e-cigarette products (excluding tobacco and menthol flavors), products with manufacturers who fail to take measures against underage vaping, and any product who intentionally targets minors. The FDA has taken measures to attempt to enforce these goals; since 2016, the agency has conducted more than 2000 vape shop inspections, issued more than 11,000 warning letters, and filed nearly 2000 civil money penalties to retailers for selling e-cigarette products to minors. Additionally, the FDA is responsible for “The Real Cost” campaign aimed at youth e-cigarette prevention, which boasts nearly 3.6 billion adolescent impressions in 16 months across social media platforms. 

Although the FDA says they remain “committed to ending the youth epidemic of e-cigarette use and preventing the next generation from facing a lifetime of addiction and other potential tobacco-related dangers,” it seems we’ll have to wait and see if these measures are too little, too late. 

26 May Data Shows E-Cigarette Users Are Returning to Regular Cigarettes

According to Altria, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, they found in their first-quarter earnings that consumers 50 and older are returning to smoking regular cigarettes after having switched to e-cigarettes. CEO Billy Gifford stated in their meeting that they believe the consumers “recently returned to cigarettes due to negative publicity and regulatory and legislative developments in the e-vapor category”. Data also suggests that Altria is losing retail share despite the increase in cigarette consumption, and they believe that this is due to the availability of more affordable brands and shoppers stockpiling due to the ongoing global pandemic.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding e-cigarette products due to their rising use in underage youth and vaping-linked lung injuries. The FDA has implemented new regulations for vaping industries which has affected its sales from its market audience but has also influenced new and alternative devices from smaller companies. Bonnie Herzog, a managing director at Goldman Sachs, stated that they believe that “smaller brands such as Puff Bar continue to gain significant share, especially in the disposable e-cig segment, which is not covered by the FDA’s restriction on non-tobacco [and] non-menthol flavor variants”. Although the long term effects of e-cigarettes are still being studied, vaping is still considered a safer alternative to cigarettes by public health organizations across the world.

15 May The World Pushes Back Against E-Cigarettes and Juul

Howard A. Willard, ex-chairman of Altria, had very big plans for Juul. In January of 2019, after increasing public backlash against Juul, of which Altria had a 35 percent stake in, Willard told executives his plans for the company: “I believe that in five years, 50 percent of Juul’s revenue will be international.” Seemingly following in big tobacco’s footsteps, Juul attempted to move to new markets overseas following public pressure in the United States. This global takeover was entirely unsuccessful, with countries worldwide enacting bans and restrictions, and overall anti-vaping sentiments. China removed Juul from the market after just four days, and plans for India have been abandoned entirely after the country banned all e-cigarettes. Similarly, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, and Laos have closed their markets to e-cigarettes. South Korea’s government issued “dire health warnings” concerning e-cigarettes, leading the vaping giant to scale back distribution there and vaping rates to plummet. “It has been an extraordinarily quick backlash,” said Kathleen Hoke, director of the Network for Public Health Law at the University of Maryland. “Countries that you wouldn’t necessarily describe as progressive public health nations are attacking this new product so that it doesn’t become embedded in their culture as cigarettes have.”

Public health officials overseas fear for their youth and a potential vaping epidemic, considering that the company continues to sell their fruit-and dessert-flavored pods outside of the United States. These fruity and enticing flavors have been one of the main factors to blame for the widespread e-cigarette use among American teenagers. Backlash abroad has also been tied to Juul’s marketing advertisements, with critics claiming it has been targeting youth and non-smokers. “We have enough problems with cigarettes and now we have 9-year-olds vaping because they think it’s fun,” said Dr. Ylysses Dorotheo, executive director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance. “More than half our population is under 30. The last thing we need is for young people to get hooked on vaping.”

With worldwide anti-vaping sentiment growing exponentially, it seems the vaping giant Juul has nowhere to run.

08 May Anti-Vaping PSAs On YouTube Not Slowing Down Rates of E-Cigarette Use

04 May New Study Finds Ban of Sweet Flavored Pods Has No Effect on Juul Sales

A study released by American Cancer Society researchers published in the American Journal of Public Health showed the removal of “sweet” flavored products by Juul had little-to-no long-term effect on sales, with users quickly switching to other flavors or different brands that were still offering the sweet flavors. The removal of these flavors came in 2018 after the company faced intense scrutiny from the FDA about curbing youth vaping rates. The current study also showed that the introduction of Juul led to the highest levels of youth tobacco use in nearly 20 years, and a CDC report released in 2019 found that over 5 million American middle- and high-schoolers were e-cigarette users, with flavors being a key reason for use. In November 2018, Juul decided to voluntarily stop production of its sweeter-flavors of e-cigarettes from hitting stores in the U.S., and they experienced a decline in sales by approximately ⅔, however, their sales of menthol/mint-flavored products doubled.

Researchers state that their study was done before the new regulations were imposed in January 2020, therefore it will be a while before researchers can find out whether these new restrictions have reduced youth sales. Robin Koval, President and CEO of Truth Initiative, believes there will be no changes and argues that “the current national e-cigarette flavor guidance… includes a large and dangerous loophole that keeps menthol and other youth-appealing e-cigarette flavors on the market. It favors the very industry that has ensnared a new generation to become tobacco users, the highest number in nearly 20 years.” Professionals also believe that the best regulation to reduce e-cigarettes use in youth is to tax the products and limit the nicotine content of the pods.

26 Apr Tobacco, Vaping Industries Enhance Public Image Through Donations for Coronavirus Relief

Tobacco and vaping industries are viewing the coronavirus as an opportunity to boost their public image on social media through charitable donations to their community and by offering freebies, protective gear, doorstep deliveries, and festive pandemic-themed discounts to their customers. Some of the world’s biggest tobacco companies, like Philip Morris International, donated 50 ventilators to the government of Greece where they have one of the highest smoking rates in all of Europe, and Altria, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, donated a $1-million relief investment to help support vulnerable residents who surround its headquarters in Virginia. Vape manufacturers and retailers are also joining in and donating bottles of hand sanitizer to local police and fire departments across the country.

Anti-smoking advocates, however, are quick to notice the immorality behind the industries’ actions. Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, stated in an interview “it’s as if they don’t realize they’re in the business of destroying lungs… it makes the word ‘hypocrisy’ feel feeble.” The FDA recently warned the public that individuals that smoke are at an elevated risk for complications if they contract COVID-19. Health officials state that smoking or vaping damages the lungs and weakens a person’s ability to fight off respiratory infections, which then heightens their risk of developing chronic lung conditions that can be detrimental once infected. Scientists also note that e-cigarettes can be efficient carriers of the virus since they are frequently passed around and shared, smokers often touch their face and mouth, and the smoke vapor can spread infectious particles to people and surfaces nearby. Myers believes that with the ongoing pandemic, it should serve as a “wake up call” for the community to recognize the harmful effects of smoking and vaping.